Meet Artist Andrew Qappik at Opening of WAG Exhibition

Meet artist Andrew Qappik at the public opening of the exhibition Andrew Qappik: Pangnirtung Memories at 7pm, Thursday, April 29. The artist and Darlene Coward Wight, Curator of Inuit Art, will give a tour of the exhibition at 8pm.

When a printmaking workshop was established in the east Baffin Island settlement of Pangnirtung in 1973, young Andrew Qappik was encouraged by the experienced artists, particularly his uncles Solomon and Imoona Karpik, to try it himself. His first prints were published in the 1978 annual collection when he was only 14 years old, and they have been included in every Pangnirtung collection since. He is well-known throughout the north for his design of the Nunavut flag, coat-of-arms, and official logo.

“This exhibition marks the donation to the WAG of a complete collection of 140 of Qappik’s catalogued and uncatalogued prints by Dr. H.G. Jones of North Carolina,” says Darlene Coward Wight, Curator of Inuit Art. “Dr. Jones made annual visits to Pangnirtung for many years, developing a special relationship with Qappik. His purchase of all of Qappik’s prints over the years provided great encouragement to the artist.”

Appropriately, Dr. Jones will be attending Qappik’s first solo exhibition which features a selection of limited-edition prints spanning his graphic career. It is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue, available in the Gallery Shop.

Andrew Qappik: Pangnirtung Memories continues until August 1. It is sponsored by The Dorothy Strelsin Foundation with the support of First Air.

Related Programs

Public Opening
Thursday, April 29, 7-10pm • 8pm tour with the artist and Darlene Coward Wight, Curator of Inuit Art.